Berlin’s election campaign was upended on Wednesday as German prosecutors launched a probe into the top candidate from the Social Democratic Party (SPD), less than two weeks before Berliners are due to elect a new state government.
Three premises related to Steffen Krach in Berlin and the northern city of Hanover have been searched, the spokeswoman told dpa.
Prosecutors declined to comment on the exact nature of the accusations.
At a campaign event hours after his flat was raided, the 47-year-old said he believes the probe is linked to “corruption” claims that he denies, related to his position as the top regional administrative official in the northern city of Hanover.
“I will continue campaigning here in Berlin over the next eleven days,” he told RBB radio. “The public prosecutor’s office in Hanover must now state exactly what specific allegations have been made against me.”
The investigation could not come at a worse time for Krach and his SPD, which is polling at a mere 11% ahead of the vote on September 20.
The party, which is part of the incumbent governing coalition both in Berlin and at the national level, has been seeing its worst approval ratings in decades.
The elections in the German capital will be closely watched, particularly in light of last week’s vote in Saxony-Anhalt, which was overwhelmingly won by the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD).
The anti-immigrant party is expected to make further gains in Berlin and the north-eastern state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, which votes on the same day.
Latest polling in Berlin suggest a three-horse race between the AfD, the conservative Christian Democrats (CDU) and The Left, a successor to the socialist party that governed the former East Germany.
CDU lead candidate Stefan Evers commented on the shock investigation, saying he has “full confidence in our security authorities.”
Evers only entered the race in July after reigning CDU Mayor Kai Wegner dropped out due to a long-running scandal after he played tennis during a days-long blackout.
‘Baseless’
A spokesman for Krach rejected the accusations against him as “baseless,” and said he was fully cooperating with the authorities to dispel the allegations.
Raids took place at Krach’s home in the southern district of Schöneberg, as well as at the SPD’s state headquarters in the Wedding neighbourhood.
Authorities in Hanover confirmed that his offices in the city have also been searched.
The allegations are said to be linked to the sale of a site belonging to a hospital in Hanover.
“It appears to be suggested that I allowed myself to be influenced in some way,” Krach said. “I would like to categorically reject this insinuation as completely unfounded.”
The mayoral candidate described the experience of the raid as “something that takes some getting used to.”
He said he was on the phone when investigators rang his doorbell. They immediately seized the device from him in front of his wife and children.
“I have nothing to hide,” Krach told RBB. He said he wanted to cooperate with the police and the public prosecutor’s office. “I want complete transparency in this matter and I’m completely at ease about it.”
Political scientist Thorsten Faas from the Free University of Berlin said the developments would likely damage the party’s chances in the final days of the campaign.
“It will be virtually impossible to set their own agenda now,” Faas said. “Right now, crisis communication is the order of the day.”